Blogging from the American Film Market in California, Phenomenal Films producer Cher Hawrysh discusses tips on the art of pitching from producers Tobin Armbrust and Cassian Elwes. The Little Film Company is shopping Hawrysh’s most recent feature, The Husband, directed by Bruce McDonald, at the AFM.

After TIFF – and before Sundance and Berlin – buyers, sellers, financiers, producers and other industry professionals gather in sunny Santa Monica, California for the American Film Market, starting Nov. 6 and ending Nov. 12.

According to James Weyman, Manager of Industry Initiatives at the OMDC, a strong Canadian contingent is attending the market this year. It includes 25 Ontario producers and over 300 professionals squeezed into the buzzing venue at the annual Canadian Mixer Friday evening, affirming that Canada is open for business.

While sales agents and buyers are screening over 400 films at 10+ venues, every seat is taken in the lobbies of the hotels along Ocean Avenue where thousands of meetings and potential deals take place.  As much as AFM is a market for selling completed productions, it is an opportunity to discuss upcoming projects.

Always keen to deepen my knowledge on how to effectively pitch, I attend the annual Pitch Conference Saturday morning at the Fairmont.  Tobin Armbrust, president of worldwide productions and acquisitions at U.S.- and U.K.-based Exclusive Media and agent, producer and champion of independent film Cassian Elwes stressed the importance of being able to talk about your project with passion and clarity.

If they are interested, executives and agents will then need to pitch the project internally and to others.  That said, Armbrust told the writers in the room to write their script.  “The reality is that most of the time, pitches don’t sell, and there are many more examples of scripts being picked up.”

As a producer, I’m familiar with this at the financing/packaging stage when buyers, who are increasingly risk-adverse, say that they will take a look at the film when it’s done.  Another important piece of advice from Ambrust was, “Don’t try to presume you know how Hollywood is trending”.  It’s passion that will sell, and it can come off as too mechanical if you talk about how well animation is doing in foreign, for example.

Elwes also spoke about his innovative fellowship (along with The Blacklist‘s Franklin Leonard) that will bring an unknown filmmaker with him to Sundance 2014. Coming off of Lee Daniels’ The Butler and its success, Elwes was reflecting on how lucky he is to have worked with some of the world’s finest filmmakers and how difficult it can be for burgeoning filmmakers to break into the industry. To nurture talent, rather than give them money, he said “I’m going to bring them to where it is happening, bring them into this world.”

As I left the conference and shuttled back over to the hotels, I mentally prepared for my next meeting (and pitch).  I pulled out my iPhone and put into play a great tip AFM Pitch Conference Moderator Stephanie Palmer offered:  “In addition to practicing pitching your own project, practice pitching other movies in your genre,” she suggested. “Scour reviews on top sites such as Rotten Tomatoes and pull turns of phrase or key words to integrate into your own pitch.”  Another great tool to add to the toolbox!